Capturing Fireflies
by Hexpracis
Summary: Reidar Eira is an elite glass blower and rumrunner on a mission to craft the most exquisite rum decanter and rum known to mankind. Follow her on her adventure to accomplish her dream and drive a certain someone to the brink of insanity! Rated M for language, use of intoxicants, violence, sexual themes and everything in between.


Ocean waves crashed gently against the island shore, the crystal clear water glittering over bare feet. Golden eyes gazed out at the sea as a soft sigh left pale, pink lips. Reidar Eira trudged back towards the small cavern she had made base in exactly one month and twenty-four days ago, not by choice of course.

On that day, one month and twenty-four days ago, Eira had gotten caught in a massive typhoon that left her single passenger boat in tatters, completely beyond the point of repair. She chuckled as she sat on the cavern floor with a huff. _'Well, at least the rum made it through the storm,'_ Eira thought humourlessly, as the amber liquid splashed down her throat. Unfortunately, she was on the last of her supplies and wasn't any closer to rescue than before.

Long ago, Eira learned that she was the only inhabitant of the island, human at least. Around her, the animals who had originally been skittish, now nosed around her feet, seeing if she had dropped any scraps of food. As of late, however, she was lucky to find enough scraps for herself. Leaning with her back against the dusty ground, Eira took another swig of rum, soon feeling the dizzying effect of drinking on an empty stomach. A growl emitted from her throat as screams echoed from the other side of the island.

 _'Dammit, can't people let me drink away the last of my days in peace?'_ Eira glared at the ivy covered ceiling, brushing ashen blonde bangs from amber eyes. Her body froze, _'Wait._ _ **People**_ _!?'_ The bottle dropped to the ground with a 'thud' as she scrambled to her feet, cautiously making her way into the thicket. She only hoped that this would be her ticket out.

"Mystery Island!" A boyish scream pierced the otherwise quiet nature of the small, tropical island as a flash of red and blue shot off from an anchored caravel. Bananas hung heavy and ripe as palm trees swayed in the light breeze, instantly giving the isle a warm paradise appearance.

"Luffy, we don't even- Ugh! Can't he ever wait for once!?" A girl with orange hair and scolding eyes glared at her companion who was currently half way up a tree, reaching for a bushel of bananas.

"Nah, you learn to expect the worst from him," a tall, tanned man with cropped, jade hair responded as he hopped down to the shore. The swords at his side brushed the sand as he landed, leaving three small impressions.

"Ahh, Nami-san! This island paradise would make a beautifully romantic getaway!" An equally tall man with blonde hair spun from the deck and to shore, hearts dancing in his eyes all the while as he cooed to the orange haired girl.

"I guess the island seems safe enough..." A deeply tanned boy took a tentative step from the ship, his nervous eyes darting around. The black curls which brushed his neck frizzed from the humidity, but he visibly relaxed as his boots hit sand. "Yeah, maybe I can find some supplies around here. After all, the Great Captain Usopp needs to look out for his crew of hearty pirates!" Usopp dropped to the ground, three lumps forming from where the sheathed swords struck.

"Don't you think you might've overdone it, Zoro?" The blonde man said calmly, looking over the swordsman's shoulder and down to his unconscious crew mate. Zoro only shrugged his broad shoulders.

"The idiot needs to respect his captain," he jade haired man hesitated as he watched Luffy mimicking a monkey in the banana tree, "Even if our captain is as much of an idiot as he is." The blonde could only nod in agreement.

Nami dropped her face into her hand, squeezing her eyes shut in exasperation. After taking a moment to despair over being stuck with a bunch of morons, as she thought, the orange haired girl dropped to the ground.

"Sanji," Nami began, unable to peel her eyes away from her straw hatted captain who was now being thwarted by the monkey, "This would be a good place to look for supplies, wouldn't it? Even if there are no people, there's fruit everywhere." Sanji immediately twirled to Nami's side, cooing her for her brilliance, causing the swordsman to toss him an irritated glance.

"Ah, Nami-san! You never stop thinking about the wellbeing of your crew! Amazing!" The blonde dropped to his knee and offered Nami his hand, gazing at the woman with adoration. "For my gratitude, I offer you my services and protection. For you, I am a slave to love!"

"Hey! Do you have food!?" The four crewmates looked towards their captain who was hanging upside down, staring intently at a small gathering of trees. Luffy held his hat in place and frowned, glaring in the direction when he received no answer.

"What are you talking to, Luffy?" Nami questioned the raven haired boy, craning her neck to see if there was anything in the direction Luffy was staring. Usopp squinted his eyes, his sharp eyes following his long nose like pointing a gun barrel.

"Guys, I think there's a-" Usopp was abruptly cut off as Luffy stretched his arms, extending them past their natural length like an elastic band. Without warning, he shot his body toward the trees with a shout.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" A scream echoed across the shore as Luffy disappeared into the thicket. The sound of a small struggle emitted from the shrubbery, followed by Luffy yelping, "Ow, what the hell is _that_?!" before a woman clambered out from the underbrush.

"Could you _please_ contain your friend?" The bewildered woman gave the frozen onlookers a look of desperation. The crew took a moment to look at the newcomer. She was quite tall for a woman, though it was difficult to tell quite how tall without reference. Her amber eyes glittered with poorly kept annoyance and her dark, ashen blonde bangs swept past her chin. On her back, what looked like two metal rings were held in place by a leather harness. It only took Sanji a moment to bound towards the woman, taking it upon himself to maintain her safety.

Luffy staggered from the bushes, pushing his straw hat back into place. At the same time, Sanji brought his foot high in the air. His finely polished dress shoe glittered in the sun before coming down on the boy's head. Hard.

"How _dare_ you mistreat a woman, you damned idiot!?" The blonde glared mercilessly at the boy laying flat on his stomach, rubbing his head. The woman pulled her hand through the short strands at the back of her neck, ruffling her hair.

"So, could you tell us," Nami approached the woman with slight hesitancy, "How many people are on this island?" The woman just grinned and looked skyward, her eyelids fluttering shut over her amber eyes.

"Six. There are six people here!"

It was well into the day before things calmed down in the small group. Introductions had taken an unnecessary amount of time to get through, but Eira just laughed. It had been so long since she had been with people, it hardly mattered to her. The hues in the sky were dim, yet alive with the vibrant colours of the sunset when they had finished dinner preparations.

Sanji had been the one to ask how such a beautiful flower could wind up being stranded all by herself. To that, the amber eyed girl grinned sheepishly, tugging at the hem of her fitted, black tank top.

"I'd been tossed overboard by the captain of the ship I had been on," Eira popped a small piece of flounder in her mouth, savouring the exquisite flavouring while gazing into the small bonfire they had set up on shore. Sanji, however, was up as quick as lightning.

"What!? To throw such a flower out the the unforgiving sea, it's an outrage!" The blonde bound gracefully to Eira's side, cupping her face. Without a moment's notice, he was plowed into the ground by some seemingly unknown force. After a moment of gawking, however, the crew watched Eira shake the kink from her hand and return to her food, while the cook nursed the tender lump on his head.

"No touching," the woman said simply, settling herself more comfortably on the log she seated herself on. Nami grinned at her, glad to have a woman with some guts around. "He was kind enough to provide a small boat. Not to mention, I wasn't exactly invited onboard," the blonde gave half a grin as her new acquaintances simply gawked at her.

"You were a stowaway, then," the swordsman said flatly, Eira nodded in response. "Why didn't you just ask?"

"I didn't think it would be wise to approach the captain of a fearsome pirate vessel and ask for a lift, so I managed to hide my belongings and myself in the brig" she responded, eyeing Sanji as he finally stumbled to his feet, still seeming a bit dazed.

"But, that's what you were doing here, isn't it?" Nami asked, pressing a napkin against her lips as she finished her fish.

"Yes, but not by choice. Your captain kind of tackled me to the ground," Eira explained, "Honestly, I probably would have just done the same,"

"Why don't you just come with us?" Luffy piped up, "We're headed to the Grand Line, so I can become King of the Pirates!" Eira raised an eyebrow in his direction. A warm breeze drifted through the tropical air as the pirates watched the woman.

"Luffy, we don't even know where she's headed," Zoro began, hesitant to allow a stranger on to their ship. The woman appeared friendly enough, but the crew really had no way of telling.

"King of the Pirates, huh?" Eira hummed, a smile playing on her pink lips while Luffy nodded back with enthusiasm, "Well, I must say that I would be honoured to receive such hospitality from such an important man!"

Soon after, the food was finished and Eira helped gather water to put out the bonfire, effectively snuffing out their only source of light, other than the full moon which glowed low on the horizon.

"Eira," Zoro nodded towards the woman as she lifted a blonde eyebrow at the man, "You must have some supplies, we should get them before it's too late." She nodded in agreement.

Shortly after, the six companions began their trek across the small island, only the bright moon lighting their way. Looking up to the sky, Eira could see an endless splash of stars and the bright swirl of the Milky Way. If nothing else, the nights on the island were truly beautiful and the tranquility would be almost enough for her to miss. Almost.

It had taken only minutes for them to cross the island; weaving through tall palm trees and the long grass tickling their ankles was hardly any type of setback. The small settlement surprised the newcomers, amazed at how resourceful only one woman could be.

A small cavern had a curtain of lush, green banana leaves which had been parted allowing them a glimpse inside the shelter. Ferns were woven together to make a sturdy hammock that hung from the ceiling and brightly coloured bottles lined the wall of the cavern. Just by the entry, four large barrels stood, sunk in the sand.

Outside near the shore, a large furnace was built from squared stone and packed with hardened clay to make a suitable seal. The back of the furnace was left partially open and a set of bellows sat nearby, making it look more like a forge than something one would cook in. Close by, a hole had been dug, lined and filled with water.

"What is all this?" Usopp was in awe, looking at the tools and equipment tied neatly by the furnace. He spotted pipes, tongs and round jars filled with different powder-like substances.

"Rum?" Eira snapped her head towards Zoro, who had just drank what was left from the square, green decanter she had left behind earlier. "Really good rum," the jade haired man smacked his lips loudly. The shorter woman stalked up to him, an amused brow arched.

"Do you make it a habit to drink out of random bottles you find on the beach?" She plucked the ornate, glass container from his hands, cradling it before taking a step back. He shrugged his shoulders and took a look around.

"Where did all of this come from?" Usopp asked, coming up behind the two. He was still dazed from the craftsmanship that surrounded him. Beautiful glass bottles filled with liquor adorned every available surface.

"I made them," the simple answer left the black curled man shellshocked. His jaw dropped and his eyes drew wide, finding it difficult to believe that only one woman could create so much. She gave Zoro a glance, "The rum, too."

The six of them made short work of the equipment. Usopp and Nami carried an assortment of metal tubes that Eira had bundled together for easy transportation. Zoro and Luffy each carried two large barrels of alcohol, while Sanji had a boxes full of brightly coloured bottles that whirled with intoxicating contents. Eira, herself, took to carrying her more delicate items. Powdered containers shifted as she packed them up into a crate, the top of each container was tied with a slight bit of rope to keep them tethered together. Next to them, small figurines of twisted glass were nested closely, wrapped in banana leaves.

"What is all of this for, Eira?" The redhead asked, staring at all of the glittering bottles with a glint in her eye, "All this glass must be worth a fortune!"

"I'm a rumrunner," the blonde grinned, "I make these glass bottles according to what type of wood barrel I'm letting the rum ferment in. The glass is made from charcoal of the same variety," Nami nodded as Usopp fawned over the craftsmanship.

"Eira, this rum is exquisite," Sanji commented when they returned to the ship, passing it on to Eira. Usopp and Luffy had retired to their quarters for the evening, both drowsy from the over the top food consumption the blonde chef had provided for them.

"Thanks," the woman grinned, tipping her head back as she drank from a rounded, gleaming red decanter. The amber liquid bit at her senses as it slid down her throat and warmed her belly. Waves crashing at the shore lulled the remainder of the group into a comfortable silence; something Eira learned was rare amongst the crew, especially between the swordsman and the chef.

Nami handled the bottle Eira passed to her with gentle fingers. She lifted it up to the moon and stared in wonder at the perfection of the glass. In the dim light, Nami couldn't be sure if the container she held was flawlessly crafted, but the liquor within it certainly seemed to be.

"So, where exactly are you headed, Eira-san?" The orange haired woman inquired, brown eyes boring into amber. Nami might have found the woman pleasant, but that didn't mean that she was entirely trusted. Little did the navigator know, their resident swordsman felt similarly. Although he drank the alcohol Eira had made liberally, Zoro didn't partake in conversation. Instead, he sat and watched closely as the other crew members interacted with the island dweller.

"To the Grand Line," Eira gazed out to sea, a smile fluttering over her lips as her heartbeat picked up. Knowing that she was finally to be back on the sea made the rumrunner's body tingle in anticipation, "My dream is to make a rum decanter using sand from each island in the Grand Line. Like a rainbow, y'know? The only thing is," Eira froze with a scowl, "That damned pirate has my tools that I built specifically for crafting my containers. I need to find him and get them back!"

Eira's companions nodded and they settled into a comfortable silence. Not long after, the four had polished off the bottle and went to bed in contentment. The rumrunner spent the night laying in the sand, gazing at the stars. She was excited to be leaving the island, but admittedly nervous to begin her adventure to the Grand Line with a bunch of pirates. She could hold her own against any opponent, however would prefer to sleep with both eyes closed.

Stretching her arms up, Eira sank into the cool, soft sand, enjoying the feel as it caressed her skin. Sleep soon overtook the woman just as she decided that she'd have to take the punches as they were thrown.

 **Hey, all! I've begun a second story in order to help keep me motivated to write. Both are in the One Piece world (as I'm sure you've noticed), and both are going to have a romantic underlay. Gold Rush Chapter Four is about three quarters finished, so it will be updated this week. Capturing Fireflies is something that I'm toying with, so if there's a direction any of you guys want this to take, throw me a message and I'll consider it. I only have a vague outline to follow, after all!**


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